Category: photography

Australia · friends · happiness · new · old house · photography

As “life” interrupts my dreams, of old loves and new….

Joanne20 Comments

fixer upper

“Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” ~ Napoleon Hill

Really and truly, I must have rocks in my head to think I can consistently blog, on a regular basis, when I have so many unexpected interruption out in the “real world”!

ripples

At times, I do wonder which world is actually my “real world”, after I return to my blog, begin again to visit the blogs of my friends, and feel the warm and inviting sense of friendship and belonging which exists here in the Blogosphere. Do you feel it too, the friendship and caring that exists between the thousands of miles that span the world, when we visit with friends we have yet to meet? It’s the feeling of meeting up again with old friends, friends who mean the world to you, friends who you could not imagine life without, now that you have met.

old boats

For the last few weeks I have been mostly working, although I have managed to fit in some very enjoyable days, hours and moments. Photos have been taken, time has been spent with “offline” friends, I’ve even managed to fit in a weeks holiday….

About three hours drive north of here, at Noosa in Queensland, there is a resort that my family and I have visited for over fifteen years now. I call it my “home away from home” and we have managed a short break there recently. I love spending time in and around Noosa and thought I had explored every single corner of the area, until this visit.

hidden

I fell totally and absolutely in love with a secluded little corner of land, just a few minutes drive from Noosa, which I had never visited before. I didn’t even know this place existed! It is a remote little corner, tucked out-of-the-way of the main roads, with a huge lake and just a few streets lined with cosy little homes. That’s it. No shops. No clubs. No schools. Nothing. Just the lake, with an atmosphere of joy and love and happiness. And promises of  time spent strolling along the water, feeling the gentle breeze dancing across your skin and listening to the water calmly rippling over your feet as you stand beside the shore….

….or sitting beside the shore of the lake in a tiny, fold-up chair, just passing the time of day reading, or drifting along in the water in a little boat, which you find hidden away in among the trees.

park

Such a beautiful dream, which may one day become a reality.

As I dream of my new-found love, Christmas is approaching, there are puddings to prepare, mince pies to bake and Christmas cakes to ice. Yes, the “real world” is calling me again and I must answer her call….

Australia · ducks · photography · spring

Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Silhouette

Joanne14 Comments

Two days ago I visited a park in Tweed Heads, which you may recall visiting with me in May of this year. We walked over the bridge and had a wander around beneath the shade of the trees, looking at the river with all the boating activity, the picnickers under the trees, and the mangroves.

When I returned the other night it was just on nightfall and the photos I took were totally different to those taken in May. Included in my nighttime images was a silhouette of the jetty, so different to when we saw it during the day in May, with the activity of boats coming and going.

Silhouette of the jetty, with not a boat in sight.

Just before I reached the jetty I noticed movement on the grass and when my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, there I saw six Australian Wood Ducks, out for a moonlit stroll in the park.

You may remember my handsome pair of wood ducks who have visited my back garden during the winter, turning my swimming pool into a winter duck pond!

Six little ducks went out one night….

It was such a beautiful night, just a slight cool breeze and overhead the moon peeked at me through the silhouette of a tree.

Hello Mr. Moon! Hmm…or is that Mrs. Moon?

A blipfoto friend in England told me that our Australian moon is upside-down to the Northern Hemisphere moon! I didn’t know that, and always think the moon is smiling down on the world when it looks like this.

Yesterday morning, when my email arrived in my inbox, announcing that this weeks WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge was “Silhouettes” I was delighted, the timing couldn’t have been better!

It was meant to be…. 🙂

inspiration · photography · spiritual · vision

Imagine…

Joanne13 Comments

Today is the International  Day of Peace and rather than talking about peace, I would like to stay silent.

Talking has its place, but can be so over-rated at times, so on this day of peace, I will simply offer scenes of those things which bring peace to my days.

“There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” ~ A. J. Muste.

“It is possible to live happily in the here and now. So many conditions of happiness are available—more than enough for you to be happy right now. You don’t have to run into the future in order to get more.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh.

“Yes, we are all different. Different customs, different foods, different mannerisms, different languages, but not so different that we cannot get along with one another. If we will disagree without being disagreeable.” ~ J. Martin Kohe.

“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.” ~ Buddha.

“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” ~ Dalai Lama.

“People suffer because they are caught in their views. As soon as we release those views, we are free and we don’t suffer anymore.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh.

“If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.” ~ Dalai Lama.

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you will join us and the world will live as one.” ~ John Lennon.

Australia · autumn · dad · Mum · photography · Tweed Valley

Towns of the Tweed ~ Hastings Point

Joanne11 Comments
Hastings Point Headland

Hastings Point is a sleepy little village situated on the Tweed Coast Road, just south of Tweed Heads. I first visited Hastings Point as a small child, back in the days when mum, dad and I would leave our home in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, for our annual camping trip, and head north.

The waves roared and crashed against the rocks.

Those were the days when I would listen to my parents as they talked about the day they dreamed of, when they could move north, to enjoy the warmer climate and a more relaxed lifestyle. They did eventually pack up our lives in the Blue Mountains in 1971, selling everything, to live the rest of their days in their dream world. (I have written the story of our move north, and if you are interested in knowing how the Sea Change came about, it can be read here.)

A few of the locals.

Isn’t it funny how you see things through two different sets of eyes, one when you are a child, another when you become an adult? The Hastings Point I see today is a far cry from the caravan park I recall from my childhood days!

Hastings Point has the most beautiful, breathtaking, rocky headland. To reach the rocks you must climb down from the grassy area above, but my photos begin as we were sitting on the grass, eating fish and chips for lunch, and sharing our food with the ever-so-hungry seagulls!

Looking for an easy lunch offering.

There were other people there that day, eating lunch on the grassy hill overlooking the ocean, but before long nearly every seagull had invited themselves to dine with us!

A seagull giving his interpretation of a hovercraft!

Not only did they walk up and stand right beside where we were sitting, some tame little guys decided that if they put on a show and performed like a little hovercraft in front of us, perhaps they stood a better chance of scoring some chips! And it worked… 🙂

The waves below crashed against the millions of rocks, sending sheets of white spray high into the air. The power of the ocean in itself can take my breath away!

Where are the people?

I spotted a small boat out to sea, which looked rather…well…empty! I zoomed in on it with my camera, and sure enough, there wasn’t a single soul on board. Perhaps the tiny boat was anchored, whilst the occupants headed overboard for a spot of scuba diving.

As the tide was quite high, the natural rock pools were filled with water and we could see the sun gleaming on the shallow water captured within the rocky surrounds.

Shallow water captured in the rock pools.

After lunch (ours, and the seagulls!) we decided to climb down the rocky embankment. There was so much more to see, and with the hill not being too high, it would be an easy decline down the hill. Beside which, I was wearing sensible shoes!

To the south of the point, Byron Bay, the most easterly point of Australia is visible.

The rocks at close range were amazing! The shells, the creatures, the colours, the salty air, the waves, the roaring sounds of the ocean…it was all so magical!

The next day we would go back, to explore the rocky areas below.

But…low tide would be early the next morning, and besides which, my camera battery had gone flat!

Low growing, flowering plants, thriving in the sandy ground.

The next day, we returned….more photos tomorrow. 🙂

I was surprised to discover such pretty plants growing at the beach.
Australia · challenges · photography · Tweed Valley

The Ends of the Earth

Joanne17 Comments

It feels like forever since I last found the time to contemplate adding a post here. What with work, car issues, house rearrangements and illness, some things have had to go onto the proverbial “back burner” of late.

I’m now venturing out of my self-inflicted “blogging hibernation”, and it took Karma to get me moving.

You’ve all heard about Karma, haven’t you? I’ve bumped into her around the webosphere for some time now, but we have never officially met. But we do have some mutual friends.

Karma enjoys offering a Photographic Challenge now and then, sometimes monthly and sometimes when she feels like it, and when I heard about Karma’s August challenge, I couldn’t resist having a go!

This month, Karma is challenging people to find photos of a what we regard as “The Ends of the Earth”.

There’s one place in particular that I love to spend time at, as it takes my breath away every time I go there. I never tire of the magnificence of the area. The view is brilliant and breath-taking, and really looks as though it could very well be the end of the earth.

Only water, as far as the eye can see.

It is Point Danger, right on the border of New South Wales and Queensland, looking across the Pacific Ocean from a relatively small jut out of land, across to the horizon where the ocean meets the sky.

If there was a place on earth where God would live, I’m sure it would be right there, looking across the water.

Surfing off the edge.

I wonder if God has a surf board? The waves in this area are world renowned, with many champion surfer’s living in this area. I haven’t ever been into surfing myself, but I’m sure to some people following the waves is like a religion. They attend the ocean every single day, rain, hail or shine.

Me? I’m overwhelmed by the majesty of the ocean. I’m not too keen on the idea of surfing off the end of the world.

Falling off the edge?

Whilst the roar of the ocean is extremely enticing, I have a huge amount of respect for the power of the waves. I wouldn’t want to take myself too close, nor climb through the fence, as there may be a danger of falling off the end of the earth.

Rocks along the end of the earth.

When the foaming waves finally reach the shoreline and trip over on the massive area of rocks, do the waves realise that they have reached “The Ends of the Ocean”? I have heard the roar of the waves, so feel sure that they are surprised to find that the ocean has an end.

Into the sky.

The earth may also end up in the clouds. If I reach up high, will my fingers touch the gentle cotton-wool puffs above me, but extend no further?

Sun shining from the ends of the earth.

No matter how thick the cotton-wool clouds may be, the sun can always manage to peek through, sending tiny slivers of sunlit rays down from above.

Rainbow Gods

I suspect that only the Rainbow Gods truly know where the end of the earth really is. The arc of the rainbow always reaches from one end of the earth to the other, visiting the places that mere mortals can only imagine and dream about.

The Last Tree.

Surely this must be the last tree on earth, sitting all alone, on the edge of the shores between imagination and reality.

Stairs to the end.

Perhaps if I were to venture along these stairs I may reach another end of the earth, but what would I find there? It would be an adventure to walk along the stairs, to see what is over the other side.

Crystal Paving.

Well now you have seen the ends of my earth, do you feel fear, or joy? Whilst showing the utmost respect for the place where the security of the firm earth beneath my feet meets up with the end of the earth, finding the all-powerful ocean, I can only see joy, for I have seen that when you reach the end, the extension of the oceans of all eternity are paved with crystals.